1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to inflatable devices and, more particularly, to inflatable devices with a plurality of air chambers supported by an interior rigid, inflatable frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inflatable devices are commonly used for a number of different purposes. Inflatable devices are used as mattresses, floatation devices, pool rafts, water toys, temporary shelters and emergency devices. The majority of common inflatable devices must be manually inflated with either a hand pump or a motorized air pump. Because of the size of most inflatable devices it often requires a great deal of effort and time to inflate the device to the desired degree of firmness. Most common inflatable devices require filling the entire interior compartment of the device with air. In some situations it is not actually necessary to fill these entire compartments with air in order to achieve the appropriate degree of firmness. Some existing inflatable devices incorporate inflatable frameworks instead of inflating the entire structure of the device.
Specific examples of inflatable framework structures that are representative of the inflatable device industry are disclosed in the following United States patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,734 to Walter discloses a cold air inflatable screen with side, back, top and bottom walls. The inflatable structure supports a white screen and houses a projector for displaying images on the front screen.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2002/0023390 to Nagle discloses a temporary, inflatable work shelter. The inflatable work shelter comprises an inflatable framework with a cover material that is supported by the inflatable framework.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,707 to Caruso discloses an inflatable tube system. The tube includes a bladder, made of an elastometer in the shape of a cylinder, and a fabric covering made of woven polyethylene. An air valve extends into the bladder through an end closure. The inflatable tube system may be used in many applications and preferred embodiments of the invention are used in sporting equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,325 to Hochstein discloses an inflatable structure for providing emergency accommodations. The structure is comprised of an inflatable framework with inflatable cushions disposed in the gaps of the framework.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,214 to Kilmenko discloses an inflatable mattress assembly. The assembly includes separate upper and lower compartments sealed together. By incorporating inflatable frames around the central sections of each component, the components may be sealed together at locations other than their outer edges.
None of the inflatable devices discussed above, or otherwise in existence, provide an inflatable device that can be inflated with little effort in little time. Therefore, what is needed is an inflatable device with an inflatable, interior framework that provides the appropriate degree of firmness without having to inflate the entire interior of the device. What is further needed is inflatable device with an inflatable, interior framework that requires less effort to inflate than the common inflatable device. What is still further needed is an inflatable device with an inflatable, interior framework that provides a means for inflating the device in less time than the common inflatable device. Finally, what is needed is an inflatable device with an inflatable, interior framework that may be inflated using smaller capacity air pumps.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus an inflatable structure with inflatable interior frame solving the aforementioned problems is desired.